Pass the salt (A Rube Goldbergian machine)

The video above is styled after the roundabout-action machines designed, a few generations ago, by cartoonist Rube Goldberg. This one was designed by Joseph’s Machines. (Thanks to Bob Rosa for bringing the video to our attention.)

Meanwhile, Rube Goldberg’s granddaughter is overseeing a contest to build a supremely inefficient hand-washing machine. Hilarie M. Sheets of The New York Times did a nice writeup of the contest and the history of Rube Goldberg machines.

Modern discussions of Rube Goldberg machines should not neglect to mention what are the (probably) most elegant members of the genre, the machines designed by Arthur Ganson.